PA 511

COURSE SYLLABUS: PA 511

Public Administration

Read this syllabus carefully if you are taking this course. It defines some of your responsibilities and some of my responsibilities.

This course is the introductory course in the MPA program. As the PSU Bulletin states, "The course surveys the field, the development of the profession and practices in public administration", which is a lot of ground to cover, even in a survey course, and even if the Bulletin did not go on to state further that the course "examines the legal, historical, economic, and political foundations of the American governmental and nonprofit traditions." Obviously, a single course like PA511 can at most only survey some of the issues within this broad range of topics. In doing so, the purpose of PA511 is to introduce and prepare new MPA students to the MPA program and the more specific courses that follow, and to introduce others who might consider entering the MPA program, or perhaps simply have some interest in the field, to the study and practice of public administration.

Although my PA511 course covers standard material for an introductory PA course, my choice of course requirements is somewhat different than many MPA courses. Other courses often require more writing assignments than in this course. On the other hand, this course requires you to demonstrate an understanding of basic course material in an in-class final examination. As in many MPA courses, this course also requires in-class student presentations. So, if you prefer not taking an in‑class exam you may want to take PA511 from another instructor. However, if you want to focus aggressively on learning the course material for each week and demonstrating your learning on the final exam, this course may be for you.

Course Materials

Robert A. Cropf, American Public Administration, ISBN 0-321-09691-6

Richard Stillman II, Public Administration: Concepts and Cases, 8th edition, ISBN 0-618‑31045‑2

The Cropf book is a standard textbook, whereas the Stillman book is a reader with both articles and case studies. We will often use the case studies in the Stillman book as the basis for group discussions in the second half of class meetings.

On-Line Course Resources

See my web site, especially the PA511 help page, for weekly course assignments, for other information and links relevant to the course, and for instructional files and syllabi available for downloading.

Course Requirements

In order to have flexibility to adjust the course through the term, the specific course assignments will be given out during the term. The course requirements will include (approximate percentage weights for computing course grade also shown):

50%!Final examination

!In-class presentations, of two types:

10%1) Individual presentation: presentation (target 4‑6 min., max. 8 min.) prepared outside of class on a specific reading or topic

4%2) Group spokesperson presentation: presentation (2-3 min.) as a spokesperson summarizing an in‑class group discussion

Note: Each student is required to do one presentation of each type during the term.

!Written assignments:

30%1) Essay (approx. 4-10 pages) discussing the topic of your individual presentation

6%2) Short essay (1-3 pages) on web research on the ASPA and NASPAA web sites

*!Other class participation: classroom exercises, group discussions, anything else

*Note: Participation in class activities is a very important class requirement but will not be formally graded and incorporated into a computed point total like the other assignments. The instructor may make, however, upward or downward adjustments in course grades based on class participation.

Specific required assignments will given in class, on my web site, and via the course listserv (see below). You are responsible for all assignments, even if you miss a class.

Final Examination:

The final examination will be in-class, closed book, mainly short answer, and will comprehensively cover the course material, including:

!Anything covered in class, but focusing mainly on the concepts I indicate in class are most important and that I emphasize in the weekly assignments given out in class.

!Readings, including major concepts from the textbook and also the case studies from the reader. Exam will cover most, maybe every, assigned case study.

(Tip: Put plenty of details into your answers to make it clear you read and know well the case studies and the other topics. If an exam answer could have been written by someone who did not read the assigned course readings, that answer will receive a low score.)

Individual Presentation and Topic Essay:

You need to choose a subject for your individual presentation and topic essay. There are several approaches you can take:

!Review a book of importance in public administration

!Compare/contrast two-three articles in a relevant professional journal, such as the Public Administration Review

!Critically relate some public administration readings to your professional experience

Read on my web site "Topics for Individual Presentations and Topic Essays" for a partial list of possible topics. Also, most weeks I will provide in class possible topics for individual presentations for the next week, and you can choose from these topics the subject for your individual presentation and topic essay.

If you choose a topic other than from the topic list on my web site or from the weekly suggested topics you need to approve the topic through me. Email me, or give me in writing, the proposed topic. I will usually approve any topic I consider relevant to the course and instructive for the class.

Regarding the individual presentation: A five minute presentation can contain only a small amount of information, less than you can have in your essay. The trick to a good presentation is not to try to convey too much. Take several main points and try to convey them to the class. Also, to do an effective presentation you must not read what you have written; rather, put just a few key words on 3x5 note cards to use as notes, and then practice and time your presentation several times. If you do not practice and time your presentation you will not know how long it will take and you will likely exceed the time limit.

Regarding the topic essay: You must follow acceptable scholarly standards for documentation. Footnote any ideas drawn from published materials. Footnote and put in quotes anything taken word-for-word. For help on how to write and document essays check out the on-line writing/footnoting guides listed on my web site:

http://web.pdx.edu/~stipakb/students.html

The total amount of work required in the class will be a reasonable, not excessive, amount of work, and will be similar to other PA Division courses.

Course Listserv

I have subscribed all students enrolled in the course who have an email address in the PSU Information System to the course listserv. If you do not have an email address in the PSU information system then I did not subscribe you and you will need to subscribe yourself. To see if your email address was included, you can look at the files in the folder for this course on my website and find the file with the name EmailAddressList...".

You must subscribe to the course listserv within two days after the first class meeting, if you are not already subscribed. I will use this listserv to send messages to the class members. You can also send messages to the class members‑-for example, to solicit help and to help other students requesting help.

To subscribe to the listserv go to the information page for this listserv, which you can link to via my web site, or you can just go directly to:

"https://www.lists.pdx.edu/lists/listinfo/pa511"

Course Grades

I will assign course grades as fairly as I can based on a computerized total points score and calculated grade. I usually allow myself a maximum leeway of one increment (for example, B to B+) from the calculated grade to take into account class preparation, participation, and other special considerations.[1] The total points score is computed from scores on all the completed course requirements as listed above.

Both an "A" and a "B" are passing grades at the graduate level, and the vast majority of students in my classes receive grades in that range. If I assign a "C" or lower it means I feel the work in the course was below acceptable graduate student standards. Typically for this class I assign over one-half grades of A or A-, but at the other end there are typically several grades in the C/D range also.

The university policy on assigning incomplete ("I") grades restricts their use to special circumstances (see PSU Bulletin). Missing assignments will usually result in a lower grade or an "X" grade, not an "I". If major assignments are missing a very low grade may result. If you enroll in this course but find you are not able to do all of the assignments, I recommend that you drop the course. If you remain in the course and do not complete all of the work, you need to see me to discuss the possibility of an "I" grade.

Academic Dishonesty

I consider academic dishonesty a serious offense and will penalize offenders to the full extent possible under university policies. Academic dishonesty includes cheating on examinations, copying or stealing other people's work, turning in work done by someone else as one's own, plagiarism, and other kinds of misrepresentation. If you know of any of these problems occurring in this class, please let me know so that I can investigate.

Return of Assignments, Examinations

Any assignments I have not returned to you by the last class meeting you can pick up from me after finals week. You will not get back copies of examinations, but a key exam will be available for you to see immediately after completing exams, and your scored exams will be available for you to examine in my office.

My Availability Outside of Class

I am available to consult with you about course matters by phone and in person outside of class hours. To see me in person, schedule a time with me. Also, feel free to stop by my office if you are in the CUPA Building; if I am in, I will see you then if I can. This combined by-appointment/flexible-office-hours approach provides a more practical way to arrange consultation than limited specific office hours, given the varied work schedules of students in our program.

PA 511

Course Outline

Note: Instructor will announce specific weekly reading and other assignments in class and on his web site.

Basic Background and Concepts

1. Introduction: Public Service and the Growth of Government

Cropf, Ch. 1, 2

2. The Study of Public Administration: Approaches/Paradigms, History, Origins of the Field

Stillman, Ch. 1

3. Political, Organizational, and Legal Context of Public Administration: Bureaucrats as Politicians or as Technicians

Cropf, Ch. 4

Stillman, Ch. 4, 13, 14

4. Big Political Context of Public Administration in the U.S. Political System: Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations

Cropf, Ch. 5

Stillman, Ch. 5

5. Thinking About Organizations: Organization Theory

Cropf, Ch. 7, 8

Stillman, Ch. 2, 6, 7

Administrative Processes

6. Decision-Making and Policy-Making: Muddle Through or Analyze?

Cropf, Ch. 9, pp. 215-226, Ch. 11

Stillman, Ch. 8, 9

7. Budgeting

Cropf, Ch. 13

Stillman, Ch. 12

8. Human Resource Management

Cropf, Ch. 14, Ch. 9, pp. 205-214

Stillman, Ch. 6, 11

9. Performance Measurement and Evaluation

Cropf, Ch. 11, pp. 270-274

Stillman, Ch. 10

10. Information Resource Management

Cropf, Ch. 15

Other Issues

11. Administrative Ethics and Accountability

Cropf, Ch. 3

ethics cases handout

Stillman, Ch. 16

12. Government Regulation of Private Enterprise

Stillman, Ch. 10, "The Lessons of ValuJet 592"

13. Privatization

Cropf, Ch. 12

Conclusion

14. Can we Further the "Public Interest" as Public Administrators?

Stillman, Ch. 15

PA 511 Winter 2008

Approximate Class Schedule

Note: Write in assignments below when announced (in class, by listserv, on web site).

	Dates	Assignment Due	Approx. Sections of Course Outline
1	1/10		Sec. 1
2	1/17		Sec. 2
3	1/24	Short Essay due	Sec. 2, 3
4	1/31		Sec. 3, 4
5	2/7		Sec. 5
6	2/14		Sec. 6, 7
7	2/21		Sec. 7, 8
8	2/28		Sec. 9, 10
9	3/6		Sec. 11
10	3/13	Topic Essay due	Sec. 12, 13
11	3/20	Course Evaluations, Final Examination
	Note: This class schedule is approximate. Adjustments will occur during the term. Some topics may overlap several class meetings.

[1]However, if some course requirements are not fulfilled, or if other special circumstances exist, the assigned grade may be more than one increment different than the calculated grade.